K&N performance air filter

[jlaviola]

Has anyone used the K&N performance air filter with their Delorean and do you think it has made a difference?

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/Air-filter-K&N.jpg

[MikeWard]

Has anyone used the K&N performance air filter with their Delorean and do you think it has made a difference?

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/Air-filter-K&N.jpg
I fitted one to mine last month before a rolling road test. No improvement in performance was recorded on the dyno, compared to a previous result from July.

[Ryan King]

I just like that I can clean it VS buying new ones.

[sdg3205]

No noticeable difference. I probably wouldn't run one in a desert.

[Christian Dietrich]

Only real noticeable difference would be if you have a cold air intake which adds about 6hp overall.

[Chris 16409]

If people are interested, you better get one now. Every ebay seller that had them listed said they did not have any in stock and that they have been discontinued. Not sure why sellers have products listed on eBay but now actually have them in stock.

[Michael]

I have had mine 8 years. There is no performance gain and there are studies that show the K&N pretty much sucks as a filter and OE filters provide far super filtration and just as much air movement. If my car saw more than a few thousand miles a year I would consider just using a paper element, but as long as it's driven sparingly I will keep using it. Sure you just clean and re oil every so often but popping the top and dropping in a new paper filter would be much easier.
In short I could take it or leave it.

[sdg3205]

+1

I would not run a K&N if you live in sandy/desert states. I run one, but I don't drive between 5k and 6k rpms enough to justify the arguably "better" breathability. I wouldn't do I again.

[FABombjoy]

Someone once stated a 3HP dyno gain. But, as is tradition, with no actual dyno sheet or testing methodology to back up the claim.

[DMC-81]

As stated on another thread, yes, I have a K&N on the Delorean, and on my other 2 cars. I swear by them. It probably doesn't make a difference on a 130 hp motor, and you can't see a documented hp gain, but I guess I'd describe the difference as more (quicker) throttle response. I think it $40 well spent.

[Mark D]

Only real noticeable difference would be if you have a cold air intake which adds about 6hp overall.

Yeah eliminating the stock hot/cold mixer valve on the intake is going to have a greater effect than swapping the filter to a K&N. Keep your paper filter clean w/ a cold air intake and you'll be doing better than a stock setup by a few HP. I've run K&N filters in the past on other cars and have eventually gone back to stock filters and just change them more frequently. I'm over the whole cleaning and re-oiling thing.

[DMCVegas]

There are conflicting stories everywhere about filtration, though most stories are from people stating that after installing a K&N filter they have dust and other crap inside of their intakes.

Honestly, while I do operate my cars in the desert with occasional dust storms, and this is a sizable concern for me, there is larger factor at play here. It's not even that by K&N's own words, they state their filters have no claims to increased power of fuel economy. (http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm) It's also not that these things seem to be more expensive. I mean, $60 on average for the filter, and then another $20 for cleaning products which only last who knows how long means that with daily driving I have to wait at least 2 years before I see any ROI. And they can't be better for the environment since the cleaning products generate so much more landfill waste (and I can cut the paper elements out for recycling if I really want to feel green). No, it's not that either. Simply put: I'm too busy to screw with this crap.

I have TONS of other stuff I need to be doing on my day off. So I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect of having to wash, dry, and then re-oil a filter. And possibly have to install it with "sealing grease". Why go through all of that when I can just get a paper one that pops right in so I can be done with it. I have other things to do.

[mluder]

It's my understanding that you do not have to do any cleaning with the K&N Filter until approx 50,000 miles. Of course living in the desert is probably a different story.
Any way, I've been running mine for a few years - can't say its been better or worse.

Cheer
Steven

[DMCVegas]

A DeLorean filter costs $9.38 from DMCH. On average, K&Ns cost $60 or so.

Let us say I replace the paper filter every 10K miles. I would then have to drive 60K thousand miles just to break even. Which if I drive around 10K miles a year of course equals 6 years time. Even if I were to compare this to my F150 that has $20 filters that get replaced every 30K miles, I'd have to drive 90K miles just to break even on the cost. Which even @ 20K miles a year would take 4½ years. That's also is just the cost of the filter itself. There is no consideration for the additional cleaning supplies, which even if I operated these filters in a dusty environment (which maybe these filters NOW are able to do), those operating costs then rear their heads and push the ROI out even farther. And still there are the factors of time spent on the cleaning process and the overall downtime of the vehicle to determine if it's really worth it.

As stated by K&N, the filters offers no performance or economy advantage either to offset costs. So that's a moot point there.

If I had some sort of rare vehicle I couldn't find a replacement filter for, I'd be all for the K&N units. Same with if this was for a competition where I'm trying to squeeze every advantage out of my vehicle as possible because I'm trying to win some sort of prize money in a race. Especially if I'm tearing things apart after each event. THEN I could see these filters as a legitimate investment. But for regular street driving? I just don't see the value in these washable filters.

[DMC-81]

This thread reminds me to service the K&N air filter on my "Maggie" soon. After 10 years, it's going to roll to 100,000 miles this spring so it will need that service for the 2nd time since I bought the filter for $35 in when the car was new. Here's a pic last month...

48971

I know opinions vary on these like the engine oil threads, so to each their own. They work for me with zero problems and 1 recharge kit purchased in the last 10 years among 3 cars. Mind you, I don't live in a dusty area.

:cheers:

[Nicholas R]

I've always had a hard time believing that a K&N filter would increase horsepower. Dont get me wrong, I dont doubt that they filter well, but a measurable horsepower gain?

It reminds me of Hervey's ad for his SS Intake:
48978

Who know's right? But I'm pretty sure the answer is zero...

If you really wanted to know how much horsepower could be gained via the intake, whether thorough different air cleaners or filters, then do a dyno run with no air cleaner installed. No restriction=power right? I'd be surprised to see a noticeable difference.

[DMCVegas]

Wow. I haven't been on his page in quite some time, so I'd never even seen that.

From now on I'm just going to call that thing Schrödinger's Intake.

[DMC-81]

I agree that we should do a dyno test for the Delorean. For comparison on a sub-200 hp engine, here is a dyno test on a Scion comparing various aftermarket filters, including K&N against stock, with nothing else changed. The results were an average of 5 hp over stock. It was 168 vs 163 for K&N.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13245

Here is a good visual on what I mean about improved , i.e. quicker, throttle response. Keep your eye on the ball.

http://youtu.be/yFTPSRxisJI

5 horse power doesn't seem to be noticeable, but maybe people that claim horsepower gains feel the quicker access to their engine's horsepower.

I tend to think of it this way... when you are running or climbing stairs, would you want to breathe through your nose, or mouth.

[ssdelorean]

This thread reminds me to service the K&N air filter on my "Maggie" soon. After 10 years, it's going to roll to 100,000 miles this spring so it will need that service for the 2nd time since I bought the filter for $35 in when the car was new. Here's a pic last month...

48971

I know opinions vary on these like the engine oil threads, so to each their own. They work for me with zero problems and 1 recharge kit purchased in the last 10 years among 3 cars. Mind you, I don't live in a dusty area.

:cheers:

(temporary thread highjack post)
Viva La Mags! :rock_on:
Over 204,000 on my wife's red Maggie and 108,000 on my 'johnny cash' Maggie!

48981

[DMC-81]

(temporary thread highjack post)
Viva La Mags! :rock_on:
Over 204,000 on my wife's red Maggie and 108,000 on my 'johnny cash' Maggie!

48981

Indeed! The Magnum has been, hands down, the best car I've owned. Cool that you have 2! :thumbup:

Apologies for the thread diversion.

[Chris 16409]

I posted an update to K&N availability here:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?14187-K-amp-N-performance-air-filter&p=246690&viewfull=1#post246690